International students say tuition fees are too high

While Langara’s tuition fees for international students are comparable to other colleges and some other post-secondary institutions in B.C., many students from abroad would like to see more services and benefits available to them.

Langara international students pose for a picture in the main foyer of Building A. Photo by Bala Yogesh.

Langara Students are asking for equal tuition fees

“We, coming from an international place, are facing more struggles, more hardships, and living in worst conditions, and are working the hell of it, and we’re still paying much more,” said Tanvir Kaur, a kinesiology student at Langara. “I believe there should be equal fees for everyone because we all are studying the same class, and in the same course, and we’re not given a special kind of treatment or anything like that.”

Ajay Patel, associate vice-president of international and external development at Langara, said the college’s prices are actually cheap compared to some other schools. “Given we are a university transfer institute, our fees are considerably less than UBC, and other major B.C./Canada universities,” Patel said in an email.

International students are paying six times more

International students can pay up to six times the fees of domestic students depending on the institution and the number of credits needed. At Langara, international students pay $590 per credit, while the fees for domestic students start at $93.69 per credit.

Douglas College charges $520 per credit for international students while Kwantlen Polytechnic University charges $561 per credit. In contrast, at UBC international students pay $1,011.97 per credit for most undergraduate programs.

At Langara, some of the services available to international students include workshops to help students transition into Canada’s post-secondary education system, as well as private counselling.

As part of the 2020 Strategic Plan, Langara is targeting more international students to help increase total revenue generated independently from 60 per cent to comprise 75 per cent overall. In spring of 2014, Langara had 1,474 international students, a number that has more than doubled over the past two years to 3,055.

According to B.C.’s Ministry of Advanced Education, international students spent $2.3-billion in the province in 2012/2013.